The last dance
by DoahShadow
Summary: Fate... A force that guides us all to face our destinies. It starts us all on different paths but it forces us to cross ours with another's along the way. Can the champions of Burning Shadows stop a powerful force from thrusting the world into chaos?
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

**Disclaimer: I do not own pokemon! I only own my OCs and every original idea that will appear in my story. With all that said, enjoy!**

_**Darkness… All that surrounds me is darkness… It's cold and unforgiving. Sadly, it's the only comfort that I have come to known. After sleeping for so long I am awaking. Awaking to an evil that I created, an evil that I let live for so long. No longer will this evil haunt my purest creation, my children. I will fix my only mistake and then I will continue my slumber….**_

In a poorly lit room, a man sits upon a big chair meant for a king. Its frame was made of gold and was accented by silver flower petals. The cushiony was made of velvet color silk. A work of art that was meant to be the centerpiece of a grand hall but it fails in comparison to the silent man that sits upon it. First impression did this man no justice. All it will give a person is that he was of Hispanic descent, of average build, and a head or two shorter than an Ursaring. What made this man truly unique was the over powering aura he projected. It left an air of confidence and power. Lesser men would fall to their knees in fear and stronger men would shake silently in awe. The attention of the man is drawn away from the object he held in his hand to the footsteps coming towards him for a brief second before he returns his attention to it.

"What is bothering you?' asked a feminine voice that held a hint of concern that was almost masked by the power she wield strongly in her voice and presence.

"What do you think is bothering me?" the man kindly answers with another question of his own as he began to play his favorite game.

"My guess would be the flower you keep playing with," the woman answers as she kneels before the man.

"This little old thing…" the man sighs as he caresses the flower petals that were shaped like swords before he continues. "Do you know what this flower is called?"

"I saw it in one of the books you keep in the library. It's called an Iris if I'm not mistaken," the woman answers as she stares at the man trying to read his body language since his face was kept hidden in the shadows.

"You are correct, the Iris or Ayame if you prefer that name instead is what this flower is called. This little thing is associated with so many legends and myths that its true purpose has been forgotten over the years. Do you know what the true purpose of this flower is?" asked the man again as his focus never wavers from the flower as if was a precious cargo.

"You know that no one other than you knows the answer to that question," the woman answers as she tries to hide her embarrassment for allowing herself to fall prey to her master's, weird game.

"That's true… Would you like to know the answer to that question?" asked the man as he flicks one of the leaves that belonged to the flower.

"Why would you share such a secret with an unworthy person such as me?" questions the woman as she drops her head.

"The answer is rather simple… It's because I chosen you to be my wife," the man answers as his eyes travels from the flower to the woman kneeling before him.

The woman raises her head in disbelief when she heard him speak those words. It played over and over again in her mind as if it was sacred. Her gray eyes locks onto the piercing green eyes of the man who held more power than all of the champions who represented the many leagues of the world. She becomes lost in his gaze and begins to feel as if he is reading into her very soul. As if all of her forgotten secrets are presenting themselves to the man who she owed her very life too. Realizing that it is forbidden to lock eyes with the man, she quickly lowers her head and begs for forgiveness.

"There is nothing for you to be sorry for," the man states as he stands up from his seat and walks towards the woman.

"But I broke one of the sacred rules," she quickly started but stops when she hears his footsteps.

She shudders in awe as his footsteps come closer to her. Even his footsteps cause her to tremble. How could she feel worthy of being this man's wife when his mere presence causes her to feel so… venerable? This man deserves someone better but is there someone worthy of him? Her train of thought is interrupted when she feels his presence behind her. Turning her head to the side, she spots a smile.

"You shouldn't doubt yourself so, after all, a martial artists such as your self should be brimming with confidence. And to answer the question you probably thought of once or twice since I chose you to be my bride, the only person worthy of being with me is you."

The woman begins to shake but it isn't out of fear or awe. She shakes out of happiness. Slowly getting to her feet, she turns her body around to face him. When she is finally facing him, she slowly moves closer to him. The man wraps his arms around the woman and pulls her closer to him. They both stare into each other's eyes before they kiss one another deeply. After a moment of blissful eternity, they break the kiss.

"I really hate for this to end but there is something I must do," the man painfully says as he looks lovely into the woman's eyes.

"I understand my love. Do what you have to do. I will see you later," the woman replies as she bows before she walks away and exits the room.

The man waits for her to close the door before he looks down at the black color Iris. Black, out of all of the colors the Iris presented itself to humans; black was the color to be truly afraid of. As he continues to inspect the flower, the man begins to chuckle to himself when he realize that he forgot to tell his love the true meaning and legend of the Iris flowers. Running fingers through his shoulder length black hair, he shakes his head in disappointment. Disappointment at himself for forgetting to give her the answer he promised her.

"The Iris flowers, the messengers of fate. Meant to guide humans who loose their path," the man softly whispers to himself.

Each one had a meaning whether it was big or small. Unfortunately, black was a color that held an importance too big to ignore. Not only that, it was a double-edge sword that would force his organization to do one of two things. But the choice is not an easy one to make.

"Which choice am I going to make in the end? Is it going to be the right one? No one has ever been put into my shoes before and now I have to take the burden thrust upon me by fate. By the creator if you would," the man sighs to himself as he allows himself to rant. "There is nothing in life worth having if it was easy to obtain or achieved. So why should I make it easy. I'm going to do the one thing that no one has the guts to do or ever thought of doing. I'm going to start a war that will change all of those who become involve," the man finishes with a smirk plaster on his face.

With a small laugh, the man tosses the Iris onto the seat as he walks off into the shadows to put his plans into motion.

**Author notes: I didn't think I was going to write this story so soon. I thought I would take a short break after finishing my "Character Introductions" story but I guess fate decided that I didn't deserve a break. I hope you all enjoyed the prologue to my first ever pokemon story. This story is going to have quite a bit of dark themes here and there and people and pokemon are going to die. So, if you continue to read my story, prepare yourself and for the future. So to end it all, PLEASE REVIEW!**


	2. It begins

**It begins…**

**Disclaimer: I do not own pokemon! I only own my OCs and every original idea that will appear in my story. With all that said, enjoy!**

Waking up with a start, a young man scans his room to insure that he was indeed in his home. Sweat drips down his face and lands softly on his thin blanket. His hands are trembling and he does his best to calm his nerves but is slowly failing. Something moves from the foot of his bed and orange light fills the dark room. The source of the light came from the man's most trusted pokemon, a Typhlosion by the name of Samus. She goes to her trainer and licks his hands. A warm smile comes across his face and his hands became steady. He looks over and spots the picture that has been haunting him for years. It was a picture of him and the woman he loves kissing one another. Closing his eyes, he begs for forgiveness. The Typhlosion jumps on the bed and pushes him off in order to get him from falling into a funk.

"I needed that," the man says after he contains his laughter.

He gets up and heads to the bathroom to begin his morning ritual even though he normally performs it three hours from now. Upon entering the bathroom, he spots his red color toothbrush that had his name engraved upon it. Running a finger across the four letters, he thinks to himself why he had to be named Juan before he chuckles to himself and proceeds to brush his teeth. After he finishes, he washes his face and hair, dries his face and then combs his hair. Then Juan exits the bathroom and heads to his room to get dress for the day.

+O+

_Three hours later…_

Juan steps out of his house and catches the sun as it is rising from the horizon. He looks back at the house before he heads out of Olivine City. When he passes the city limits, he pulls out his poke gear and calls his best friend. After about the third ring, his best friend picks up.

"I just got into the office and I'm not even sitting in my desk and you end up calling me… What do you want Illuminate?" Juan's best friend answers the phone with a hint of extreme annoyance in his voice.

"What did I do? Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed or something? Man, you need to get laid," Juan replies, his voice dripping sarcasm as he tries to contain his laughter.

"I hate you… Why am I friends with you again?" Juan's best friend asks as he glares out a window that stands behind his desk.

"You know the answer to that Michael. We are friends because… Well, because we fought each other and ended up forming a pokemon battle club together," Juan answers with a smile on his face.

"Right… Don't forget that you owe me quite a bit of money and I do want you to pay me. So, why did you call me?" asks Michael as he sits down on his extremely comfortable chair.

"Where you able to schedule a date for a meeting yet or did you forget about it?" asks Juan as he walks under a tree for some shade.

"I'm going to give you the same answer I've been giving you for the past two months, I working on something and you are going to love it. When I'm done with that little project, we will then have a meeting where everyone can come and no arrests will be made," Michael answers as he shuffles through his paperwork.

"Fine… But it better be awesome or I'm going to never stop calling your office non-stop for a good three weeks!" Juan threatens as he lets a smirk come across his face.

"If you do that, I… Will… Have… You… Arrested," Michael slowly states as he lets a smirk of his own run across his face.

"You're kidding right? Right? Hello?" Juan nervously asks but receives his answers when he hears the click of a phone hanging up. "Great… I don't think he's going to let me mess with him for a long time."

+O+

Juan continues to head north until the building he was heading too appears from the horizon. Years ago, this huge plot of land was home to a farm that harvested milk from Miltanks. Now it was home to the most successful pokemon-breeding center in the world. A massive two story building, with 2,000 acres of land in the back of it carefully used to breed and care for pokemon. The name of the business is Twilight and it's founder and current owner was Juan's younger sister, Angel. With a soft sigh, he enters the building.

Upon entering, he spots Angel's right hand man, the amazing Sandra, manning the front desk. He gestures to her grabbing her attention and begins to mockingly pull a gun to himself and pull the trigger. Laughing at Angel's older brother stupid antics whenever he asks for his sister, Sandra tells him that she was in the back with their newest employee. Juan thanks her and heads to the back to face his judge, jury and executioner. Opening the door, he spots his sister teaching their newest employee, a local girl by the name of Gina, how to properly groom fire types. Upon spotting her brother, Angel's eyes are lit with rage. She then mouths to him, what do you want? Juan mouths back that he wants to talk.

"Excuse me Gina, my brother needs to talk to me. See if Sandra needs any help and we'll continue where we left off," Angel kindly and softly says.

"Ok…" Gina awkwardly replies as she looks at the two siblings knowing full well that something bad was going to happen.

Gina quickly exits the room leaving Juan and Angel alone. Juan looks over at his sister and spots her adjusting her black fingerless gloves.

_That's not a good sign…_ Juan thinks to himself as he continues to stare at his sister.

After adjusting her gloves, Angel brushes lint off of her black shirt and then proceeds to crack her neck and hands.

_Damn it… That's really a bad sign… _Juan thinks to himself as he nervously looks at the door.

"So… What do you want to talk about?" Angel sweetly asks her older brother.

"You see… I was hoping that I could get off of work for awhile," Juan answers meekly.

"How much time are we talking about?" Angels asks as she proceeds to glare at her older brother.

"I don't know… A couple of months," Juan answers.

Angel begins to emit an aura of absolute rage when her brother replies. She begins to shake due to the rage and then begins to stomp her way towards him.

"It's only for a couple of months! Heck, I'm not expecting a paid vacation! I just want some time for a journey!" Juan quickly spits out as he tries to calm his sister down

When Angel was a couple of inches from him, she swings at him and connects with his left cheek.

"A COUPLE OF MONTHS IS NOT SOME TIME! THAT'S A HELL OF A LOT OF TIME! I FINALLY GET YOU TO COME TO WORK AND THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY ME!" Angel screams as she swings at him again.

Juan ducks and moves behind her and slowly begins to walk backwards. "Look, I know that you are mad but I really have to do this! I need to do this! Hell, I got you that silver Eevee!"

"DON'T BRING ALEX INTO THIS! AND IF IT WASN'T FOR HIM, YOU WOULDN'T HAVE A JOB ANYMORE!" Angel continues to yell as she quickly stomps towards Juan.

"I'm sorry about bringing Alex into this! Please hear me out!" Juan yells back but stops when he runs into a wall.

"Why don't you stand still and then I will hear you out," Angel sweetly replies as she slowly walks towards Juan, a smile plaster on her face.

"Angel, what are you doing?" Juan asks as he eyes his sister, fear clearly written on his face.

"Nothing…." Angel says as she picks up a steel pipe that was conveniently lying on the worktable to her left.

"Angel… Angel… Angel!" Juan screams as he manages to dodge the steel pipe.

Juan begins to dodge another one of her swings. With every miss, another object is broken. With each dodge, more of Juan's energy begins to fade. With each swing, Angel gets closer and closer to hitting her older brother. It continues like that for a good minute before Juan ends up tripping on a broken vase and falls on his ass. He tries to get up put is force back down by his sister's foot. She then positions the pipe to face towards him as she glares down at her brother, the rage gone from her eyes.

"You do realize that all of this is coming from your next paycheck," Angel calmly states.

"Yes sir," Juan quickly replies.

"You are going to search for Athena again aren't you?" Angel asks.

"Yes sir."

"Since I have Gina here to help, you can take your time," Angel said.

"Thank you!" Juan happily said.

"Don't thank me yet. I want a red Gyarados," Angel demands.

"What?" Juan yells after hearing her crazy demand.

"Don't worry, you can take your time on getting it. But don't come back until you do!" Angel states as she removes her foot off of her brother and moves the steel pipe away from him.

"Thank you sis."

"You're welcome."

"I love you!"

"…"

"Come on…"

"…."

"It's not going to kill you."

"I love you too big brother."

"See! That wasn't too hard."

Juan hugs his sister and opens the door. Sandra and Gina greet him by acting like nothing ever happened between him and his sister. He says goodbye and they end up telling him good luck. With a smile on his face, he exits the building. Remembering that he had one more thing to do, he pulls out his poke gear and calls his mom.

"Hello?" a kind voice answers the phone on the first ring.

"Hey mom, just calling to let you know that today is the day," Juan replies.

"Did you tell Angel?" Juan's mom calmly asks.

"Yes," Juan quickly answers trying to hide the gulp that tries to emerge.

"Did she try to kill you?" she calmly asks with a serious tone.

"No… She just tried to break a few of my bones with a steel pipe," he answers trying to shake out the memory.

"I'll talk to her… Ok then… I love you."

"I love you too mom. Bye."

After hanging up, Juan looks up at the sky and vows to himself that he will not rest until he finds Athena.

+O+

Author notes: Whew… That was one tough chapter to write… So much anger and annoyance to the hero of the story. Well, one of the heroes at least. I'm working hard to make sure that my first ever pokemon fic becomes a success. Btw, thank you Silver Don for the review. I took your advice to heart (tenses are my greatest enemy) and I did my best to fix that problem in this chapter. Anywho, this chapter wasn't as dark as the first one and that is due to the fact that it was following a protagonist and not the antagonist. It might be awhile before I write the next chapter because I don't know where to begin. Well then, that's all for now and don't forget to review!


	3. A stormy night

**A stormy night**

**Disclaimer: I do not own pokemon! I only own my OCs and every original idea that will appear in my story. With all that said, enjoy!**

Two weeks pass as Juan continues his search for the woman he lost in a terrible storm years ago. With each lead, comes more disappointment and a feeling of dread. His greatest fear begins to creep into his mind with each failure but he does his best each time to push it away. His latest lead has him approaching the only fighting gym in Saffron City. A gym where Athena's journey began and it also happen to be the place where she received her first pokemon. Taking a deep breath, Juan looks up into the sky and lets out a deep breath as he opens the door and enters.

The gym's appearance resembles that of a place that hasn't been used in a long time but looks could be deceiving. Countless matches that left the sparring mat scuffed the hardwood floors. Holes ranging from varying sizes decorated the walls along with plaques of current and former students. A picture of the master hanged at the very back of the gym flanked by pictures of his Hitmonchan and Hitmonlee. As Juan continues to look around he spots the sparring mat and the many cushion seats that formed a border around it. Hearing a voice coming from the back room, Juan takes a deep breath and shouts hello. Seconds later, a tall and muscular man comes out from a room in the back. He wore the traditional attire a martial artist wears, the actual name of the outfit escaping Juan at the moment. And his face had a long scar running across it that slightly resembles one that a person might get if they fought against a Scyther. He had long black hair that was put up in a long ponytail and his piercing black eyes seemed to bore a hole into Juan. Glancing to the pictures in the back, Juan realizes that this was the gym's Sensei.

"What brings you to the Iron Fist Gym young man? Do you wish to become a student here or is it something else?" asked the very intimidating martial artist.

"I'm standing here before you in hopes that you could help me find someone I lost," Juan replies as he looks up at the tall man.

"What is the name of the person you are looking for so I could help you," the man replies as he takes a seat upon one of the many cushioned seats bordering the sparring mat and gestures to Juan to take a seat next to him.

Juan takes a seat next to the Sensei and utters a quick thank you. He then closes his eyes and begins to breathe slowly as he prepares himself. When he is prepare, he opens his eyes and begins.

"I'm looking for my girlfriend Athena," Juan states as he stares at the man.

"Athena? Oh! I remember her now! She was one of best students. An excellent fighter and trainer. A natural in every aspect of the word… So you're her boyfriend? … What do you mean you are looking for her?" Athena's former Sensei asked after he realizes the meaning of the statement.

"We were on a date on one of the islands near Whirlpool Island and were caught in a hurricane. When I awoke, she was nowhere in sight. I search the entire area by air and I even went as far as to search underwater. I haven't found her and she hasn't made any attempt on contacting me either. It's been two years now and I'm slowly losing my faith that she is still alive," Juan finished, a tear slowly running down his left cheek.

Silence fills the room as the information is finally revealed. Juan sits in silence letting his memory haunt him with each failed search, and Athena's former Sensei lets the news of his best student seep into his mind.

"Thank you for telling me all of this. You see, I always saw Athena as a daughter and she always saw me as the father she never had. All this time I thought the reason she never called or visited was because she lost to her inner demons but now I know the truth," Athena's Sensei said as he looks at the young man before him who cared very deeply for his student.

Juan let his words seep in and the last words began to haunt him. He didn't know about it as Athena always kept her past a heavily guarded secret and his curiosity got the better of him so he asked.

"What inner demons?"

"I'm not surprised that you don't know about it as she tended to keep everything a secret. Athena was an orphan who lost her family to a Team Rocket attack and she always blamed herself for it," the Sensei stated as he looks back at the young man sitting before him.

"That's why she never talked about her family but that still doesn't explain why wouldn't she say something about it?

"It's because she blamed herself for their death."

"What? That's… Explain?"

"It happen in Cerulean City seventeen years ago. She was taking a walk with her family when she heard noise coming from an alley and thought it belongs to a stray pokemon. So, she ended up running into the alley to see what pokemon it was. Her parents tried to stop her but it was too late. When they reached her, they were standing before a group of Team Rocket's men. They told Athena to run and she did but that didn't save her from hearing her parent's screams of pain and torture. She ran back to her parents and found them in a pool of their own blood. To make matters worse, one member of Team Rocket was still present and he saw Athena crying over the bodies of her parents. He attacked her and left her for dead. She ended surviving the attack but the child that used to be Athena was dead and was replaced by an individual who knew more about life and death than anyone. She ran away from the hospital and I found her wandering the streets of Saffron. I took her in and taught her everything she knows so she could be prepare for the choice she would make in the future," finishes the Sensei as he feels a sense of relief wash over him as he lets go the information that has been haunting him for years.

"I didn't know that she suffered so much in her life… No wonder she hated all of those cities. It's all because of Team Rocket… I have to find Athena no matter what… Thank you-" Juan said but paused wanting to get the Sensei's name.

"My name is Rex, Rex Watson," answers the Sensei.

"My name is Juan Illuminate and thank you for all of the information you gave me Rex. It truly does help," Juan states as he rises up from his seat.

"No, thank you Juan. Thank you for being there for Athena, it truly meant something to her and I know that she misses you as well. I could feel it in my heart. I think she is trying to find you but something is stopping her from doing so. Don't give up and I wish you the best of luck," Rex said as he shakes Juan hand and leads him to the exit.

"When I find her, I'll bring her back with me. I promise," Juan said before he exits the gym.

+O+

Lightning streaked across the sky over Cerulean city lighting up the night's sky. The roar of thunder shortly follows. Two individuals stand on a hill overlooking a research and development complex owned by the Orion Corporation. Each of them scan the complex comparing what they are seeing to the blueprint they memorize minutes ago. They had a mission to complete and nothing was going to stop them. With one final breath, they ran down the hill and jump over the electric fence.

Upon landing, the taller of the two points to a building to the right. The smaller one nods and runs over to the building and slips inside. Then the taller shadow proceeds to head to the generators powering the entire facility.

After entering the building that the taller man pointed out, the smaller woman sneaks around by sticking to the shadows. She slowly reaches the room marked security and smiles. A second later, the power goes out and noise is made within the room. Shortly after a guard comes out only to be taken out by the woman. Picking up the body, she goes into the room and dumps it on the ground and proceeds to tie the man up. Once she finished, she switches off all of the cameras and pulls out her communicator.

"Volf, the cameras are all shut down. We are green to go. Over."

"Copy that princess. I'll meet you at the entrance to the lab. Over."

The woman clenches her fist in irritation but lets the small comment slide as she remembers the importance of this mission. With one final glance at the unconscious guard, the woman exits the room and heads to the entrance of the lab. When she reached it, she found Volf kneeling before the electronic lock. Seconds later, the door opens and Volf smiles down at his female companion.

"Ladies first, princess."

"Cut the princess crap Volf and shut up. We can't offer to fail this mission."

"Whatever… Did you know that the last woman that worked with me was killed by my own two hands?" Volf asked as he disregarded her last statement.

"If you do anything funny I will kill you and if I'm hurt in the slightest, our master will personally kill you," the woman replies as she goes in through the open door.

"You don't have to tell me twice princess. After all, I wouldn't want our master's whore to get hurt. My life is far to valuable to me to make that mistake," Volf whispers to himself as he follows the woman.

They continue in silence, navigating the endless hallways that led to the underground lab that held their prize. Each step brought them one step closer to their objective. They shortly found the door that led to the device that could single handily tip the balance in their favor. A weapon of mass destruction that was the crown jewel of the Orion Corporation. A device designed by Michael Kreed himself, The Matter Energy Converter and its partner The Container. Volf opens the door and they found themselves standing before the massive devices. They both stare at them in awe and a smile fall upon their faces.

"So, how do we get this junk out of here?" asked Volf.

"You left the back up generator on right?"

"Yes princess."

"Then watch and learn."

With that being said, the woman unclips two pokeballs from her belt and releases the two pokemon contained within. One was the four-armed powerhouse known as Machamp and the second was the sumo pokemon Hariyama.

"I need both of you to put those two devices onto that hangar elevator," the woman commanded.

Both of her pokemon nod and go about their orders as Volf lets out a whistle as he approaches the woman.

"How original. Using pokemon to due the heavy lifting," Volf states as he looks at the two powerful pokemon moving the heavy devices with little effort.

"You could help them if you want," the woman replies as she glares at the disgusting worm standing before her.

"I wouldn't want to hurt their pride," said Volf as he turns around and looks at the pokemon who were finishing their task.

"Stop fooling yourself. Men like you are pathetic and are only good for fodder," replies the woman as she steps upon the elevator.

"Is that you talking or our precious master?" asked Volf as he activated the elevator and hopped onboard.

"Both."

"I see… It doesn't really matter anyway. I'm getting what I want out of all of this. So, have your pokemon load the devices into the trucks so we could get out of here," Said Volf as the hanger doors above them open up letting the rain fall on them.

"You don't have to tell me twice," the woman states as she orders the pokemon to load the devices into two of the trucks located near the hanger.

+O+

Author notes: Well, chapter three finally arrived and it turned out to be different that I originally planned but I loved it anyway! We ended up learning more about Athena and we see that our hero, Juan, is still having no luck. Not only that but the Matter Energy Converter or M.E.C for short and The Container were stolen! Michael is going to be pissed! But to make matters worse, it turns out that the vile Volf is working with the man and woman who made an appearance in the prologue chapter. For those who don't know who Volf is, he is the man who thinks he killed Raven in the Character's Introduction chapter "The Black Spider." The plot thickens and our heroes are completely unaware of what is going on… for now that is. Michael Kreed is going to make an appearance in chapter four along with… That's right! The villains are all making their debut! Keep your eyes and ears open for chapter four! So don't forget to review!

PS- Thank you for reviewing Silver Don and Ulquiorra9000! I hope you enjoyed this latest installment.


	4. Revolution

**Revolution**

**Disclaimer: I do not own pokemon! I only own my OCs and every original idea that will appear in my story. With all that said, enjoy!**

Juan walks down the streets of Cerulean City as his search for Athena continues. He looks at the bright and merry city but only sees the pain and torment that haunted Athena every time he brought her here unaware of her past. As he looks back at those memories, he realizes that he was a selfish jerk. Turning a corner, he finds himself standing before a crowd of people. Curiosity got the better of him and he maneuvers his way through the crowd and reaches the front. He finds himself standing behind yellow tape that blocks out a crime scene. Juan looks around and realizes that the place the crime took place in was no other than Orion's research and development facility. Fear takes over Juan as he sees body bags being loaded up into ambulances.

Turning around quickly, Juan begins to quickly exit the crime scene to find a quiet place away from the crowd. After he breaches the crowd, he jogs over to an alley and pulls out his poke gear and dials a number. The phone rings twice before a hand hangs up the phone. Juan turns around and comes face to face with an officer. Awkwardly saying hi, Juan lets out a quick protest when the cop handcuffs him and begins to drag him to the station for questioning.

+O+

"I'm telling you I didn't do it! I just arrived in Cerulean City! Are you deaf!" Juan screams at the officers who were interrogating him.

"You better lower your voice before we lock you up in your cell again. Now answers our questions so we could process you quickly," replies one of the officers whose name was Fred.

"Process? No way! I'm not going back to jail! I rather die!" Juan shouts as he squirms in his chair trying to break the restraints keeping him tied down.

"We know you were arrested before, it's in your records. According to it, you helped a criminal escape," answers the second officer known as Ted.

"That's taken out of context! … What do you want? I didn't do anything!" Juan yells causing the officers to cover their ears.

"Calm down Illuminate or we will throw you back in your cell," Fred shouts over Juan's incoherent screams.

"…. Ok! I'm cooperating!" Juan spits out quickly in fear.

"Thank you. Now why did you run away from the crime scene if you were innocent?" asks Ted as he stares down at Juan.

"… I didn't run away! I quickly navigated through a crowd and jogged to an alley to make a phone call… I'm still waiting for my one phone call!" Juan answers as he glares at the two cops.

"And you didn't think that quickly navigating through a crowd and running to a alley wasn't suspicious?" answers Fred with another question.

"I said jogging! Not running! I'm not answering any more questions until I get one phone call!" Juan shouts as he tries to cross his arms before giving up and reverts to glaring at the officers.

"We heard you the first time so there's no need to shout. We will give you your phone call when you answer all of our questions," stated Ted as he returns Juan's glare with one of his own.

"No!" Juan simply replies.

"No? Do you want us to throw you in your cell?" threatens Fred as he glares down at Juan.

"I don't care! I want my phone call!" Juan shouts back.

"Fine! Here, use my phone!" shouts Ted wanting to shut up the most annoying and stubborn person he ever came across.

"Heck yea! Now you are talking my language!" Juan beams as he snatches the phone and begins to awkwardly dial a number.

"Who you think he's going to call?" Fred asks his partner.

"It doesn't matter who he calls, he's not going anywhere," Ted replies as Juan begins to talk over the phone.

+O+

_One phone call later followed by an hour of waiting…_

"Freedom!" Juan shouts as he begins to kiss the ground and bask in the warmth of the sun.

"How do you always manage to find yourself in trouble with the law?" asked a tall blond wearing a black suit.

"I really don't know but I'm grateful that you are my friend Michael," Juan answers as he looks up at his best friend.

"Hmph… Whatever. So, what brings you to Cerulean City?" Michael Kreed asks Juan as he begins to walk down the steps of the police station.

"I was following a lead so I could find Athena," Juan replies as he follows Kreed.

"Athena?" Michael asks he raises one eyebrow at his friend.

"That's right! I never told you her name. She was the woman I was dating for five years," replies Juan as he smiles at the memories.

"Was dating? What happened?' Kreed asks as he turns around the corner.

"We were on a date three years ago and ended up getting caught in a hurricane. We got separated and I haven't found her since and I never stopped searching for her," Juan answers as he continues to follow Kreed.

"Now that is interesting. You must really love her if you are still searching for her," Kreed states as he begins to turn another corner.

"I was going to ask her to marry me that day," said Juan as he lets his voice fill with sadness.

Kreed stops in mid turn and slowly turns around to face his friend. Juan's normal happy self was replaced with a dark and sad one. Michael eyes him carefully and realizes that Juan blames himself for her death and refuses to accept the fact that she is dead. Heck, Juan should be thankful that he lived through a hurricane. Not knowing what to do next, Kreed opted for the easiest choice.

"If I know what she looks like I could help you with your search," said Michael as he looks at his friend hoping for him to discard that frown his face was donning.

"That would be awesome! Here's a picture of her and me! Just ignore the kissing!" Juan beams happily as he hands Michael the picture he keeps within his wallet.

Michael smiles at his friend before taking the picture into his hand. He looks down at him and rolls his eyes at Juan and Athena kissing. Reverting his gaze back to his friend he lets a smile come on his face before he returns it to the picture. As he begins to memorize the woman in the picture he couldn't shake the feeling that he seen her before. As he continues to look at Athena, a look of shock fills his eyes. He grips the photo tightly before running towards his office leaving Juan looking at his friend weirdly before he runs after him.

+O+

Michael bursts into his office leaving his secretary that was seated at her desk to stare at the closing door. To make matters worse, a man she never saw before ran past her and opens the door that was a second from fully closing. Shaking her head in confusion, she returns to the task she was doing before the rude interruption.

"What's with the running? I didn't know that you were still in shape… When can I get my picture back?" Juan asks as he tries to regain his breath after chasing Michael three blocks and up thirty stories worth of stairs.

"I run on a daily basis and here's your picture," Kreed replies as he hands Juan the picture and goes back to searching his desk.

"What are you looking for?" Juan asks again as he stares at Michael.

"I'm searching for a black remote," Kreed answers as he runs a hand through his short, dirty blond hair.

"Ok but why do you want the black remote?" asks Juan again as he begins to help Kreed with his search.

"Why do you asks so many questions? But to answer you, I need the remote to turn on the hidden television and VCR system hooked up to it. And before you ask another stupid question, I want you to look at the footage with me," Michael replies as his hazel eyes bores a hole into his best friend.

"Like security footage?" asked Juan as he picks up the black remote that was cover by a mountain of paperwork.

"Yes. It's security footage of the robbery that occurred last night. The idiots who robbed me didn't take into account that I had hidden cameras in the labs that are power by a third generator located in this very building," Kreed replies as he snatches the remote and begins to push a series of buttons.

"Why don't you give the footage to the cops so they could arrests these guys?" Juan asks as he turns his attention to the television.

"The reason is very simple. The cops are a bunch of idiots who will never catch these criminals. These criminals were able to take out and kill my security force. Men who were all professional soldiers. I won't stop until I personally deliver them my personal form of justice," Michael replies as rage lights his eyes for a brief second.

"So, what are you going to be looking at?" Illuminate asks as he stares at the image showing in the screen.

"We are going to look at the two criminals who did this. Here comes the first one. I was able to identify him as Volf. A professional thief and assassin who went off the radar months ago," Michael starts as the image of Volf running down the hallway fills the television screen.

"How do you know all of this?" Juan asks as he glances at Kreed from the corner of his eyes.

"I have my sources. Now, the second accomplice was a complete mystery to me. I wasn't able to find any records of her anywhere. That was… until today," Michael states as he pauses the video when the woman came onto the screen.

Juan stares at the television in shock and disbelief. The woman who helped Volf rob Michael of his precious products was Athena. The woman who was haunting him in his dreams, the woman who stole his heart years ago.

+O+

_**I will not be asleep for much longer. My strength is finally returning. My children will all die. I will punish them all! There evil will not taint the world any longer. No one can stop me. No one… I'm getting tired again… I must sleep to continue regaining my strength. The time will come shortly and all will kneel before me in fear. For my name is….**_

In a massive room that serves the purpose of a conference room, sat a group of people. Each of them all were out of place and didn't seem to fit in with anyone there. A little bubbly girl around the age of twelve was playing with dolls and singing a merry tune. Next to her was the imposing figure of Volf who stared at the kid with annoyance. Across from him was a scientist who was reading through tons of data that was stored in a PDA. Sitting next to the scientist was a man who was expertly playing with a knife. His gaze never leaving Volf as he smiles at the obvious discomfort that Volf was not even bothering to hide. Across from the knife twirler sat an over weight man that was eating a bucket of fried chicken. The fat man licked his finger as his gaze turns to the woman sitting next to the knife twirler who was staring at him in disgust. The woman was dressed in black clothing that was a cross between something a witch or shaman might wear. She mutters something under her breath as her gaze moves on to the left end of the table. At the left end of the table sat Athena. A woman everyone in the room fears for multiple reasons. One being that she was the wife of the master.

"Would you stop singing you good for nothing brat!" Volf shouts at the little girl grabbing everyone attentions.

"Why?" asked the little girl as she continues to play with her dolls and sing.

"Because it's annoying!" shouts Volf as he stares at the little girl.

"Why?" asks the little girl as she stares at Volf with her bright blue eyes before adjusting her high-end pigtails.

"You should stop before she starts to sing louder," replies the scientist who was staring at Volf.

"Keep your nose out of this Dan! This is between me and Jenny," growls Volf as he glares at the little girl name Jenny.

"I was only trying to help," said Dan as he returns to his data.

"Don't waste your time helping Volf. He's too stupid and stubborn to know any better," replies the guy who was playing with the knife.

"You want to fight Incognito! Do you? Huh? Thought so," Volf shouts as his gaze turns to the knife expert.

"You wouldn't last five seconds against me," Incognito said as he makes his knife disappear from one hand and reappear in the other in a blink of an eye.

"I say that we should just relax and eat some food?" suggests the over weight man who begins to eat another piece of chicken.

"That's your answer to everything Bobby! Why don't you stop stuffing that mouth of yours and exercise a little! You'll live longer!" shouts the witch shaman woman in black.

"I thought you wanted me to die Yumi," Bobby states as he points at her with a drumstick.

"That was before I realize that you will haunt me if you die!" spat the witch shaman.

Everyone begins to argue with one another as Athena stares at all of them. Her anger was rising but it was quickly wash away when she saw the door at the end of room open. Out of the door came a Hispanic looking male that was of average build. His steps echo in the room and all of people present instantly became quiet. Each of them trembles in fear, all of them except for Athena who became accustom to his presence. A presence that emits an aura of absolute power that was so unreal that even a rampaging Gyarados will stop and proceed to quake in fear. His piercing green eyes move to each of them and everyone feels as if he read their minds at that instant. A smile creeps across his face when his eyes meet Athena but it quickly vanishes as he takes a seat at the right end of the table. Running his hand through his shoulder length black hair, he takes a deep breath and begins to speak.

"It is good to see that all are you are present and better yet, that you are all on time. I do hate tardiness and I'm glad that you all learn your lesson the first time. Now, the reason I called you all here is that it is finally time to begin the revolutionary war. It's time for us to destroy the fantasy world that humanity has created. It is up to us to save the world from evil. We were all chosen by fate to be its champion and for that very reason, we can not fail. Those of us who fall will be used as fuel to make us stronger. Now I wasted enough of our precious time talking so I will continue by giving each of you a task that you will be completed no matter what the cost may be. Understood?"

"Yes sir!"everyone shouts in unison.

"Good. Jenny, you are in charge of training our men."

"Understood,"Jenny whispers as her eyes shine with a dark glint.

"Volf, you are in charge of security."

"Yes sir," Volf said with a smirk on his face.

"Dan, you will be assiting me with our secret weapon."

"With pleasure," Dan replies with a smile.

"Incognito, you will be in charge of gathering the resources we will be needing to complete our weapon."

"It will be completed without hesitation," Incognito replies with a nod of his head.

"Bobby, you will be in charge of gathering information."

"I will put my life on the line to complete my tasks," Bobby answers with a sense of purpose flowing through him.

"Yumi, you will be in charge of healing the wounded."

"It will be a task I will take pleasure in," Yumi replies with a dark smile upon her pale face.

"And Athena, your task is the most important of all. You will be in charge of puinshing those who fail me and all of those foolish enough to try and stop me."

"It will be my pleasure my love," Athena answers as a smile forms on her face.

"Now, what are you all waiting for? We have a war to start!"

With those final words, everyone rose from their seats and began their tasks.

+O+

Author notes: The war has begun! Will this shadowy force win or will Juan and the members of Burning Shadows stop them? The wheel of fate is turning and no one knows where it is going to lead them. What is going to become of Juan and Athena? Stay tune and find out! And before I forget, REVIEW!


	5. The end of dreams?

**The end of dreams?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own pokemon! I only own my OCs and every original idea that will appear in my story. With all that said, enjoy!**

Screams of terror echo across the small dark room, startling the large, sleeping pokemon that was comfortably sleeping at the foot of the small hotel bed. It lifts its head and ignites the flames on its back to light the room. An orange glow fills the room lighting the furniture found within. The shadows cast from the flame make the room gives off an aura of fear and horror. Shadows in the form of monsters whispers words of doom at the trembling man. His eyes scan the room looking for the woman that was taking pleasure in haunting him but was only greeted by the supernatural shadows. Running a hand across his sweaty face, he lets out a sigh.

"It was only a dream, it was only a dream. You know that she is alive. I saw her. She was helping a harden criminal rob Michael. But… why is she haunting me? Oh Arceus, please give me the strength to move on," Juan whispers to himself as he lets the dream play out in his mind once again.

The large pokemon pounces on its trainer and begins to lick his face but stops when it tastes his sweat. It begins to spit out the horrible taste and that causes her trainer to laugh. He pets his wonderful Typhlosion and whispers her name.

"Would you be a dear Samus and keep me company for the rest of the night. I will really appreciate it," Juan says to his female Typhlosion.

Juan receives his answer when she lets out a yawn and lies down next to him. Wrapping his dearest companion in a hug, he lets out a yawn before falling asleep once again.

+O+

The morning sun shines in through the windows filling the small hotel room with a warm glow. Movement coming from the bed disrupts the peaceful morning and a loud thud is shortly heard after. A loud groan comes from Juan's mouth as he looks up at the ceiling. His gaze turns to the bed and is greeted by the black eyes of his Typhlosion who was wearing a grin on her face. Juan sits up and glares at his Typhlosion only to have it disappear under the covers.

"Oh! I don't think so! If you think you are going back to sleep after waking me up you are surely mistaken!" Juan states as he jumps on the bed to wake up his pokemon.

An empty bed greeted him and he scans the room looking for his Typhlosion. Goosebumps take a hold of Juan as he senses a shadowy figure draw closer to him. A long wet tongue licking his face greeted Juan when he turned quickly around.

"Eww! Samus! What did I tell you about licking me! I hate being licked! Whatever, that's enough fun for today. I have to do something today and I need to get a head start. Thank you for being there for me," Juan softly whispers towards the end as he recalls his pokemon.

Running his fingers across the smooth surface of the pokeball, Juan looks down at it. Samus was his first pokemon and another mother to him. She always was there for him, helping him when he needed it. Three years ago, he was going to finally present her to Athena. Athena… Why did she haunt his dreams? Is there something more to the dreams? Or is it just his mind hurting him for not doing what he always promised to do? A look of determination comes across Juan's face as he finally decides what his next course of action is going to be. Clipping his pokeball on the necklace that was design to hold it, Juan grabs his black leather jacket and puts it on as he heads out the door.

+O+

On a high hill located in a forest east of Lilycove City stood a Shinto style temple. The building was over five hundred years old but it didn't show the signs of age. It was well maintain by the only inhabitant and it was grateful for it. Cherry blossoms decorated the temple grounds along with a small pond that was border by bonsai plants. A path of smooth round stones that were decorated by cherry blossom petals leads the way throughout the temple. A loud screech disrupts the peaceful serenity as a large shadow of a bird pokemon circles the temple. The pokemon, a Pidgeot, lands in an open area as it lets its trainer off. The trainer in question was no other than Juan. He thanks his pokemon and recalls it before he heads to the main building of the temple. When he was a few feet away, the door slides open and a man slightly shorter than Juan comes out. His short brown hair was unkempt but shows signs that a comb was used on it before the individual gave up on his hair. Dark brown eyes glares down at the intruder but slowly fills with indifference. Letting out a yawn, the man slightly adjusts his black robe before addressing his great leader.

"What brings you all the way out here Juan? Last I heard, you were searching for a woman. Did you find her or did you give up?" asks the shamanic individual as he extends a hand towards Juan.

"I never give up Yoh and I came here seeking your help," Juan replies as he shakes the shaman's hand.

"Then, I, Yoh Netherlands, will help you with you troubles. The cost will only be your soul," Netherlands states as he smoothly spins around Juan and bows, gesturing for Juan to enter his temple.

"You seem to be in a good mood today and do I have to give you my soul?" Juan questions as he enters the temple.

"I do have good days from time to time but to answer the question looming inside your head. The answer is no because your soul will be mines when you die. I claimed it the day we first met. Now, what is troubling you?" Yoh answers as he slides into the building closing the door as he enters.

As Yoh enters the room, he spots Juan staring at his guest. The guest that he told to stay out of sight until the coast was clear, the one and only master thief/pokemon hunter. Raven Hearts, another member of Burning Shadows. Her shoulder length black hair was hanging loosely and her black eyes were watching Yoh's reaction. She was wearing an extremely tight black shirt that accented her curves and 36c breasts. Not only that, her tight black jeans added to the mix, which had both men slightly drooling. Juan turns around and tries to speak but couldn't.

"She needed a place to stay after a certain incident a few months back. How could I say no, she is a fellow member of Burning Shadows," Yoh answers as he shoots a few glances at Raven who was enjoying the state she put Yoh in.

"That makes sense but why did she come to you?" Juan asks as he turns around and says hello to Raven whom just nods.

"Well, I do live in a very secluded area that few people know of. Besides, after she died, she needed a place where she can keep an extremely low profile," Yoh answers, as he looks Juan and Raven.

"Not only that, but Harrison wouldn't look for me here again. After all, I never go to the same place twice," Raven adds to Yoh's answer.

"That makes sense… WHAT? You died? You can't be dead, you are standing here before us and… and…" Juan starts but couldn't finish due to the extremely weird subject matter.

"I didn't die for real as you so beautifully stated. But the person who tried to kill me thinks that I am and so does everyone in the underworld. Besides I believe that I deserve a vacation before I go and kill Volf," Raven answers as he clenches her fist in rage.

"Volf? How many criminals are named Volf?" Juan asks as the familiar name runs across his mind.

"Only one. Volf Alaster. A man who is a ruthless killer and thief. An extremely pathetic excuse for a man I might add and the only person stupid enough to try and kill me. Now, why did you ask me that question?" Raven answers and demands an answer to the question she asked.

"Volf and a female companion of his broke into Orion's research and development facility and stole a very important project from Kreed," Juan answers as he stares into the hate filled eyes of Raven.

"Looks like I finally have a reason to come back from the dead. If you need me, I'll be in the next room talking to Kreed," Raven replies as she pulls out her cell phone and begins to dial a number.

"Understood," Yoh replies as he drags Juan into the adjacent room.

+O+

The room in question was rather small and dusty. Bookshelves practically filled every corner of the room. Half melted candles were purposely placed in what looks like a pentagram pattern. A bed made of blankets was the centerpiece of the room and Yoh stood before it.

"So, what is your problem?" Yoh asks as he stares at Juan.

"I'm being haunted by my dreams. But the thing is, I shouldn't be. The person haunting me isn't dead and the dreams keep on getting more violent and vivid. Can you help?" Juan answers as he looks down at the dust cover, wooden floors.

"That is very strange indeed. There must be a reason for the haunting… Hmm… But there is way for you to solve your problem," Yoh answers as he begins to search for items scatter throughout the room.

"You can help? I knew coming to you was the right course of action," Juan says as a smile comes across his face.

"Of course I can help. I'm a shaman and I'm also going to be doctor so I will be able to help with ailments as well," Netherlands states as he begins to ground an herb.

"A doctor? Wait a minute, you are attending medical school!" Juan shouts, as he looks at the most unlikely candidate for a doctor.

"Of course, my true passion lies in medicine not being a shaman. I always wanted to have a normal life not surrounded by the occult and the dead. I always fought back against my clan but I ended up letting my powers corrupt me. If it wasn't for Justice, I would've been an extremely disturb and dangerous individual. Now, please lie down on the bed," Yoh replies as he mixes the ground up herb with water.

"Sure," Juan says as he lies down on the makeshift bed and looks at Yoh still not truly believing that he wants to become a normal guy and a doctor at that.

"Now drink this and we can begin," Yoh says as he sits down and hands the liquid to Juan.

"Sure," Juan replies as he drinks the liquid. "What the heck is this crap?" Juan asks as his face twists in pain from the extremely bitter liquid.

"That liquid is called _Imarilodon_. My clan came up with up," Yoh answers as he flicks his hand causing all of the unlit candles to become lit causing Juan to be impress by the magic that Yoh commands. "It induces death," Yoh finishes, causing Juan's face to be fill with terror.

"What? You … You… Bastard…" Juan weakly replies as he is overcome by an extreme urge to sleep.

"Don't worry fearless leader, I won't let you die just yet. But it doesn't mean that the dead would let you live. Fight death itself and conquer the monster that haunts you. Sweet dreams and I will be here waiting for your return."

+O+

Darkness was all that greeted Juan along with the screams of torture souls. Wails of pain and screams of regret rings loudly in Juan's ear causing him to cover his ears in attempt to block it all out. He opens his eyes and sees floating blue flames lighting multiple paths throughout the dark abyss. As his eyes follow each path, he sees the many dead inhabitants that live in this place. They all show their cause of death. Whether it was being mauled by a pokemon, stabbed by a human or the peaceful death given to those who die in their sleep. As Juan's gaze shifts from one soul to the next, he spots a rather large man approach him. The man in question was well over eight feet tall and was a pillar of pure muscles. A black cloak covers his massive body along with pitch-black pants. It almost seem that this man was a walking head due to the surrounding darkness but that would've been the case if it wasn't for the many blue flames lighting his path. When the man stood before Juan, he eyes him up and down before speaking with a dark, booming voice.

"What brings you to the domain of the dead and damn living soul?" questions the massive monster of a man.

"I.. I.. I…" Juan stammers as he tries to speak.

"Out with it mortal!" demands the massive man.

"I came here to find the source of my haunting and stop it!" Juan quickly spits as his eyes widen in fear.

"Really? How do you intend to do that when many spirits haunt the living and tend to do them harm? If you blindly search for the source you will fall victim to death," answers the man with a dark smile creeping along his face.

"What if I know who I'm looking for?" asks Juan as he looks up at the monster of a man.

"That will help you in your search if you knew how to use that information to seek the one in question," replies the man as his eyes narrow in and bore a hole into Juan's soul.

"Is there anyway you can help?" Juan weakly asks as he averts his gaze from the man.

"Of course there is mortal," the man replies as he cracks his neck.

"That's great! When can we get started on this search?" Juan asks as a smile takes hold of his face.

"It's never that easy young one. If you want my help you must defeat me in combat. You must defeat me, the guardian of the dead, Scythe. If you do that, then I will help you with your search," Scythe answers as he finally reveals his name to the weak mortal that stood before him.

"Is there another way to do this?" Juan asks as he begins to back up.

"No," Scythe replies as he swings his right fist at Juan, connecting with his jaw and sending him flying back a few feet.

"That's no fair! I wasn't ready!" Juan yells as he gets up, massaging his sore jaw.

"Death waits for no one young blood. Now stand and fight!" Scythe roars as he charges at Juan.

Juan rolls to his left avoiding the bone crushing charge. Thoughts run around in his head as he tries to come up with a way to defeat this massive monster. Fighting was never Juan's strong suit and that's why he never got into a fight before in his life. With that being said, Juan knew he wasn't going to win this battle. That was until the pokeball glowing on his necklace brought Juan back to his senses as he jumps to the right to avoid a kick. Grabbing the pokeball, he throws it unleashing the pokemon hidden within. Samus emerges from the pokeball in a flash of white light. She stretches before releasing a yawn and then her gaze goes from Juan to the monster that was staring at both of them with a confuse look. Shrugging her shoulders, Samus walks over to Juan and purrs softly as she rubs her body against his leg like a cat before she stands up and licks Juan in the face.

"What is this creature that stands before me and you?" questions Scythe demanding an answer from Juan.

"This is Samus my most trusted partner and companion. She is a pokemon and her species is called Typhlosion. What? You never saw a pokemon before?" Juan asks as he looks at the confuse Scythe.

"No. I heard of them from the spirits who live here but never seen one before. It will be my pleasure to rib you and that thing limb from limb," Scythe answers as he cracks his huge knuckles in anticipation.

When Scythe finished his statement, Samus's eyes narrow and glare at Scythe. She goes back on all four and walks to the middle. When she was between Juan and Scythe, she stands up and lights the flames on her neck and tail to a blazing inferno as she releases a mighty roar that cause Scythe to shudder slightly. With a smirk, Scythe darts towards Samus but was pushed back by a flamethrower attack. Scythe eyes narrow as he tries to come up with a plan but his eyes widen when the pokemon he was battling disappears. A split second later, Samus slams into Scythe with a quick attack launching him back a few feet. Samus then curls up and looks at Scythe with a bored expression, causing Scythe to glare at the pokemon with rage.

"How dare you!" Scythe roars as he runs at Samus buts stops when Samus splits into multiple after images surrounding Scythe. "What sorcery is this?" Scythe asks Juan as he glares at each image.

"The attack is called double team. It's pretty useful if used correctly. Now, Samus! Eruption!" Juan commands as he realizes that he is going to defeat Scythe with the help of his first pokemon.

A bright red light fills the surrounding area before a massive explosion of fire and rocks erupts from Samus and the ground. The attack swallows Scythe whole causing him to scream in pain and terror. Dust fills the area blinding Juan. Something bumps into Juan and he panics but calms down when he hears the familiar purring protruding from Samus's throat. When the dust clears, Scythe stands before Juan relatively unscathed. Scythe looks down at Juan and his pokemon and smiles.

"That was the best fight I had in ages. If I fought you with all of my power you and your precious friend would've died minutes ago but I'm glad I didn't. You truly are a unique man. Most would've given up at the mere thought of fighting me or outright refuse to use my services but not you. As promise, I will be your guide," Scythe said as he reaches down and pets Juan's Typhlosion who purrs in happiness.

"Thanks," Juan meekly replies as he recalls Samus into her pokeball and clips it back onto the necklace that he wears at all times.

"Now lets find the one haunting you," Scythe replies as he heads down a path.

"Do you even know who I'm looking for?" Juan asks as he trots after Scythe.

"Of course I do. I read your soul after all. You seek the one call Athena," Scythe answers as he continues down the path.

"Don't you have to ask my permission or something before you do that?" asks Juan as he narrowly avoids bumping into a burn victim.

"No. So, who sent you here?" asks Scythe as he makes a left.

"Yoh Netherlands," Juan answers as he makes the left as well.

"I remember him. A scrawny little guy who even creeps me out with his dark aura. But that kid has my respect for refusing to let death take him," Scythe said as he makes a left and then a right.

"What do you mean?" Juan asks as he follows the guardian of the dead.

"His clan was entirely wiped out except for him. Rival clans attacked them and many died there but they ended up repelling the attackers. Shortly after, an unknown disease consumed the survivors. Through all that, your friend Yoh survived just so he could continue to bear the curse all of the Netherlands must bear," Scythe replies as he stops before a massive door made of oak.

"What curse?" Juan asks as he looks up at Scythe.

"If he hasn't told you then you shouldn't concern yourself with it. It is truly for the best but it's a shame that he has to be the only one to bear that burden. Now, go through this door and confront the woman haunting you," Scythe answers as he opens the door ushers Juan in.

"Thank you for your help," Juan says as he enters the room.

"You are welcome young blood," Scythe shouts back before he closes the door.

+O+

The room Juan enters was empty except for seven flames surrounding the chained body of Athena. Her clothes were nothing but rags and her body was malnourish. Scars cover every inch of her expose skin and her once beautiful long black hair was faded and in tangles. As Juan walks closer to her, he could see that tears were falling from her eyes in waves.

"Why did you come for me?" a weak female voice whispers from the direction of Athena.

"Because I love you and promise you that I will always protect you," Juan answers as he reaches his hands to touch Athena.

"Don't touch me. The flames will burn you and you could end up like me," Athena weakly warns.

"What happened to you?" Juan asks as he stares at his love that was the one that was being torture, not him.

"I died. I was killed that day. Well… My soul and memories were," she answers before coughing violently.

"But I saw you in the video tape robbing Michael's project with that Volf guy," Juan said as he tries to comprehend what was going on.

"What don't you understand about my soul dying? I was a broken mess on the verge of dying before he came to me. He offered me a chance to live but the price would be too great to bear. But, I wanted to live, I wanted to live…" Athena cries out as she begins to cough up blood.

"Who did this to you?" Juan shouts as rage fills his eyes.

"He goes by the name of-" starts Athena but was cut off by something banging loudly on the wooden door. "Oh Arceus! He has come for me!"

"Who?" Juan shouts but he will never receive his answer.

The door was blown away with tremendous force and a massive dark shadows enters the room consuming everything. Athena screams echoes in Juan's ears, as all he could was to stare into the darkness. As quickly as it began, it ended. The room was devoid of Athena and the flames that surrounded her. Tears began to fall from Juan as the realization that he couldn't save Athena dawns upon him. He looks at the spot where she was standing only moments ago and spots a black flower. It was an Iris and as Juan reaches for it a light surrounds him. As he blinks, he looks up and spots Yoh standing over him with a worry look. Silent tears fall from Juan as he realizes that he had his chance to save Athena but couldn't. His only chance to save her now was to defeat the man that caused her to suffer so much.

+O+

Author notes: Wow! This has to be my longest chapter yet. It was intended to be a filler and it was until the end. We got to see two more members of Burning Shadows and we also got to learn a bit more about them. This chapter is probably going to raise more questions due to Athena and the infamous black iris flower. I hope you all enjoy it because the next chapter is going to be something else. The reason? You are going to have to wait to find out! Now as always, please REVIEW!


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